UBC researchers aim to improve Canadaâ??s prostitution laws

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It is currently legal to sell sex but it is illegal to purchase it or communicate with a sex worker about their services

UBC researchers are launching a nation-wide study to determine how Canadaâ??s prostitution laws affect sex workers because while selling sex is legal, purchasing it and asking a sex worker about their services in public, is not.

The then Conservative government enacted Bill C-36 two years ago but the law has faced criticism from advocates who say it puts sex workers in danger. Researchers hope to collect enough data on how the law impactâ??s peopleâ??s safety to influence a review on the bill scheduled for 2019.

â??We want to collect this data now so that we can provide empirical evidence about the impacts these new laws have on both sex workers and clients when it comes time to review the law,â? said Chris Atchinson, a co-principle investigator on the project.

The bill puts both sex workers and clients in harmâ??s way, said Vicky Bungay, principal investigator and the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Equity, and Community Engagement at UBC.

â??If you canâ??t communicate, how do you establish consent? How do you establish what you will or wonâ??t do?â?

People can take part in the project, called Street-To-Screen, by completing a survey or participating in phone or in-person interviews. Participantsâ?? identities will be protected, said Atchinson in a written release.

â??This is an opportunity for people to safely and confidentially participate in a project that has the potential to change current laws and attitudes around the sex industry.â?

The survey will include questions about how people buying and selling sexual services use technology to communicate with one another.

â??We know that good communication is key to ensuring the health and safety of those involved in the sale and purchase of sex, but we donâ??t know how people are getting around the legal restrictions placed on that communication in Canada,â? said Bungay.